The child patients brought to the Out Patient Departments (OPD) of Government hospitals of the city are facing problems due to the leaves taken by the paediatricians. On Monday the Senior Pediatrician of Doon hospital Dr NS Khatri went on leave, similarly the Pediatrician of Doon Female Hospital Dr Tripti Bahuguna is already on a long leave.
People have stopped taking their children to the Coronation hospital as there is no pediatrician there. The Doon hospital has been directed by the Medical Health department to send one of its Pediatricians daily to manage the child OPD of Doon Female hospital which effectively leaves the Doon hospital with only three child specialists these days.
On Monday large queue was witnessed outside the Child OPD of Doon hospital as only two doctors were available. The Doon hospital is the biggest hospital of the state with more than 2000 patients visiting its various OPDs. The OPD of the pediatrics department of Doon hospital is more than 200 patients per day.
The Principal Medical Superintendent (PMS) of Doon hospital Dr R S Aswal said that one child specialist from the hospital is being sent to the Doon Female hospital so that its OPD is functional. He said Dr VK Bhatt would manage the OPD of the female hospital this week and Dr JP Devshali would be deployed in next week. The PMS accepted shortage of doctors in the hospital but added that the hospital administration is managing the affairs of the hospital as per the available resources.
The child specialists of Doon hospital are of the opinion that the decision to send one of them daily to the neighboring female hospital is not proper as only 35-40 children visit its OPD daily. They point out that since the Doon female hospital and Doon hospital are in a same campus the closing of OPD of female hospital would have no impact. One of Doctor on the condition of anonymity said that the hospital authorities of female hospital should judiciously use the available pediatricians under the circumstances.
He said the three doctors manning the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can be made to see children below the age of one year and if this is ensured the patient load on the regular OPD would surely be reduced.